Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to New York City on Monday night, stopping at Gracie Mansion on the Upper East Side during his two-day trip for the United Nations General Assembly. There, he met with Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Following the approximately hour-long meeting, a reporter questioned Trump about the White House decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico, and asked whether Mamdani had offered him any advice.
Trump gestured toward the crowd of journalists outside and replied, “They said they were going to boycott me but they never boycott me.”
He then delivered a five-word jab: “Look at all that press!”
Trump’s remarks came only hours after a troubled ribbon-cutting ceremony on the White House lawn. The event was broadcast around the world, but the feed carried no audio after major networks boycotted the president’s announcement of a new helipad.
The White House television pool, which includes ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and NBC, had announced that it would suspend coverage of presidential events. The networks said the move was intended to support journalists who had been barred by the administration over the weekend.
Earlier Monday, CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of violating their First Amendment rights after their reporters were denied access to the White House.
Mamdani avoided endorsing Trump’s comments when the two appeared together before reporters. “I told the president that we’re going to have all of the members of the press here on the lawn and that is something that I believe in. As everyone, no matter the opinion or the critique, that we engage,” the mayor said.
Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speak to reporters during a press conference following their meeting at Gracie Mansion in New York City, US, September 21
Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speak to reporters
The meeting also covered a proposal to build approximately 12,000 homes and create 30,000 jobs in New York. The plan could eventually transform a major rail yard in Sunnyside, Queens, into an entirely new neighborhood.
Mamdani said both sides had agreed to open a new level of dialogue about developing the site, an undertaking that would demand substantial cooperation and investment.
Trump also claimed he had helped persuade Mamdani to move into Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York’s mayor.
According to Trump, Mamdani had been uncertain about moving into the “luxurious Gracie Mansion” until the president urged him to take up residence there.
Trump spoke favorably about Mamdani, saying the mayor “certainly got potential.”
Ahead of his arrival, Trump called Gracie Mansion “one of his favorite places in the world” and recalled spending “lots of hours there over the years” with former New York mayors.
“It will be interesting to see how it looks now, invited by Mayor Mamdani. Look forward to it,” Trump wrote.
The conversation marked the third in-person meeting between Trump and Mamdani, but their first encounter in New York City.
President Donald Trump, riding inside “The Beast,” arriving at Gracie Mansion for a meeting with New York mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday evening
Trump described Mamdani as a “very rational person” who could “surprise some conservative people” during their first meeting in the Oval Office in November 2025
The two previously met at the White House in November 2025, shortly after Mamdani’s election, and again in February.
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Mamdani’s communications director, Anna Bahr, said Monday’s meeting would focus on ‘issues affecting New York City and New Yorkers.’
The White House confirmed the meeting but did not provide additional details.
And the meeting marks a striking shift in a relationship that began with very public hostility toward one an other.
During Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign, Trump repeatedly attacked the Democratic socialist, at one point calling him a ‘100% Communist Lunatic.’
Trump also criticized Mamdani’s political agenda and warned about the potential consequences of his policies for New York.
Mamdani, on the campaign was sharply critical of Trump and his administration, particularly over immigration enforcement.
During the campaign, he called ICE a ‘rogue agency’ and said that if Trump pursued his promised mass deportation effort in New York, he would ‘have to get through me’ to do so.’
During Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, he called ICE a ‘rogue agency’ and said that if Trump pursued his promised mass deportation effort in New York, he would ‘have to get through me’ to do so’
He also accused Trump of using the threat of federal enforcement to intimidate New Yorkers.
But the tone changed considerably after Mamdani won the election.
When the two first met in the Oval Office back in November 2025, their interaction was notably cordial.
Trump described Mamdani as a ‘very rational person’ and said he could ‘surprise some conservative people.’
Trump also said he would be happy if Mamdani succeeded in running New York.
The two met again at the White House in February, with housing among the issues discussed.
Mamdani has said the pair remain in contact by phone and text, although he has declined to discuss how frequently they communicate or what they talk about.
Trump’s visit is particularly notable because presidential visits to Gracie Mansion are rare.
The last sitting president to visit was Ronald Reagan in 1981, meaning Trump’s meeting with Mamdani marks the first presidential visit to the mayor’s residence in 45 years.
Trump’s week in New York City features high-level diplomacy, with the United Nations General Assembly bringing world leaders from across the globe to Manhattan.
The president is due to address the UN on Tuesday and is holding a string of meetings with foreign leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi.
Talks on Iran, the Middle East and other international issues are expected to take place before Trump heads back to Washington later in the week for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House.